A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Winning runners lead CovCath, Brossart, Beechwood cross country teams to region championships

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter The Covington Catholic boy cross country team that lost its top runner to an injury earlier in the season was still able to win the Class 2A, Region 4 championship with five of the top seven finishers in Saturday’s meet at Bourbon County Park. CovCath junior Will Sheets, who won last year’s Class 3A state championship, has been sidelined with...

Ludlow celebrates first Class 1A district football title since 1975 following 38-13 win over Holy Cross

Ludlow quarterback Jackson Mays passes the ball over hard-charging Holy Cross defensive lineman Littello Johnson during Friday’s Class 1A district game. (Photo by Dale Dawn) By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Two Ludlow football players with different backstories celebrated one of the team’s biggest victories on Friday when the Panthers defeated Holy Cross, 38-13, to clinch their...

Notre Dame girls, Ryle boys advance to state final four with high-scoring wins in quarterfinal matches

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter The ultimate goal of every soccer coach is getting players working together so well that they control the flow of a game. That’s what Notre Dame did Thursday and came away with a 10-0 win over South Laurel in the quarterfinal round of the girls state tournament. Notre Dame coach Brian Woeste said he was “insanely proud” of the Pandas’...

Ryle boys soccer team rolls to 5-0 win against Brossart in opening round of state tournament

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Six of the 11 starters in the Ryle boys soccer lineup were named to Northern Kentucky all-star teams by local coaches. With that level of talent, no one should be surprised that the Raiders have reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Ryle scored four goals in the second half and knocked off Brossart, 5-0, in the first round of the state playoffs...

Ryle returns to boys state soccer tournament after winning 9th Region title with three shutouts

Ryle freshman midfielder Chase McCarthy, No. 38, tries to push the ball past a NewCath defender during the 9th Region championship game. (Photo by Ted Jackson) By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Scoring a goal against the Ryle boys soccer team has become a difficult task and coach Stephen Collins wants it to stay that way for the Raiders to make a run in the state playoffs over the next...

NewCath, Ryle advance to 9th Region boys soccer title match after posting pair of semifinal shutouts

NewCath forward Brady Diedenhofer, No. 3, kicks the ball into an unguarded net after evading a charge from the line by the Dixie Heights goalkeeper. (Photo by Ted Jackson) By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Newport Central Catholic is one win away from claiming its first 9th Region championship in boys soccer. To do that, the Thoroughbreds will have to beat a Ryle team that won the title...

Prep Sports Report: Cooper senior golfers finish careers on third-place team in state tournament

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Four seniors on the Cooper girls golf team ended their high school careers Wednesday with a third-place finish in the state championship tournament at Bowling Green Country Club. This is the fourth consecutive year that Cooper has been among the leading contenders for the state title. The Jaguars placed third last year and fifth in 2021 and 2020 under coach...

Cooper girls golf team earns return trip to state tournament by placing second in qualifier

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Two of the top three teams in the latest Kentucky girls high school golf point standings — Louisville Sacred Heart and Cooper — placed first and second in a state tournament qualifier Monday on the Willows course at the Golf Courses of Kenton County. It was a close battle that state points leader Sacred Heart won by just three strokes, 320-323,...

Prep Sports Report: Top volleyball programs resume rivalry in Playing for a Purpose charity matches

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Northern Kentucky’s top two high school volleyball programs will face off Friday when Notre Dame takes on St. Henry in the 15th annual Playing for a Purpose charity triple-header at Boone County High School. Notre Dame players try to block a shot at the net by Anna Guard of St. Henry during last year’s Playing for a Purpose varsity match. (File photo...

Simon Kenton football team snaps string of early season setbacks with 42-21 win over Conner

Conner quarterback Wyatt Hatfield gets tackled before reaching the goal line by Simon Kenton linebacker Aven Bohms. (Photo by Allee Fay) By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter After a series of setbacks over the last three weeks, Simon Kenton’s football team  got the win it’s been waiting for on Friday when the Pioneers powered past Conner, 42-21, in Hebron. Earlier this month,...

Prep Football Report: Highlands senior quarterback provides 347 total yards in season-opening victory

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Highlands quarterback Brody Benke opened his senior season Friday night with an outstanding offensive performance that carried his team to a 34-27 win over Lexington Catholic in the Bluegrass Bowl at LexCath. Benke threw two touchdown passes, ran for a pair of TDs and caught a scoring pass during the game that wasn’t decided until the final minutes....

2023 Prep Football Previews: Ryle senior quarterback plans to be double-threat on offense once again

The NKyTribune is featuring players on each of the 21 high school football teams in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties leading up to the first games of the 2023 season on Friday, Aug. 18. We will then provide focused coverage of  local teams throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. By Blake Lehmann NKyTribune sports reporter Even though the Ryle football team lost two of the top three...

2023 Prep Football Previews: Cooper’s top tackler last two seasons will anchor solid defensive unit

The NKyTribune is featuring players on each of the 21 high school football teams in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties leading up to the first games of the 2023 season on Friday, Aug. 18. We will then provide focused coverage of  local teams throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. By Blake Lehmann NKyTribune sports reporter Cooper football coach Randy Borchers has given high praise to...

Prep Sports Notebook: Newport boys basketball team showing potential to repeat as region champions

By Terry Boehmker NKyTribune sports reporter Last season’s leading scorer graduated in May, but the Newport boys basketball team has been playing so well in summer games there’s no reason to think they can’t be 9th Region champions once again next year. After winning six straight games in the gold bracket at the Lawrenceburg Shootout in Indiana last weekend, the Wildcats won a pair of summer...

Newport police looking for information regarding a bomb threat at Newport Pavilion Kroger on Saturday

On Saturday at 10:31 a.m., Newport Police were dispatched to a bomb threat at the Kroger store located at Newport Pavilion. As officers arrived on scene, the staff at Kroger had already begun evacuation of the building. Officers and Kroger staff were able to completely evacuate the building within minutes. A bomb detection K9 was activated, and the building was cleared. No explosive devices were located....